With the abandoned hostead offering no answers, only deepening the knot of disquiet coiling within him, Jaegar knew his next prudent course lay in removing himself from this place posthaste.
Although he would have liked to stay for a couple of days and play around with the princess, he felt like his return had been long overdue. And he had to watch out for his arcane energy, as he had poured a lot in his previous battle.
Yet his mystical reserves remained dangerously depleted after the arduous battles and subsequent translocations. Attempting to teleport again in such a state could prove catastrophically perilous. And he just didn't know how far the empire was from the place he was.
And he didn't want to risk being here anymore, as it may not be favorable to him.
No, he would need to conserve what morsels of arcane power still thrumd within his very lifeblood and seek more conventional ans of transport for now.
Reluctantly sheathing his wizardry faculties, the wizened spellslinger instead turned his mind to more mundane considerations of stealth and wilderness survival.
He sneaked himself a horse from the camp before departing.
With cautious, purposeful strides, he skirted the periter of the blasted farmstead, ever vigilant for any sign of pursuit or observation. When no such threats manifested themselves from the overgrown brambles and shrubbery, Jaegar allowed himself to relax a re fraction.
Taking his bearings from the angle of the slowly settling dusk, he struck out on a northeasterly vector deeper into the unclaid woodlands.
The wizard's passage was slow yet steady, each wary footfall selected with care to minimize noise or signs of his passing. He avoided the scattered ga trails where possible, instead striking out across the rugged, untramled terrain in a straight course towards his approximate destination.
The journey through the forest had been tedious but he persisted as he continued moving forward. The journey stretched for a couple of weeks.
It wasn't until the looming darkness of the forest canopy gave way to a distant saltine scent on the night breezes that Jaegar detected the unmistakable signs of a sizable coastal settlent ahead. As he crested the final rise, the rolling woodlands abruptly transitioned into a wide, sandy lowland scattered with brackish pools and wind-shaped dunes.
And there, glittering like a string of jewels strewn across the craggy shoreline, stood the torchlit sprawl of a bustling port town. Even from this distance, the silhouettes of docked ships could be seen arrayed in staggered rows, their mainmasts piercing the sky like a forest of skeletal pines.
A faint smile of relief played across Jaegar's features at this welcod sight of civilization - the first he'd encountered since his hasty departure from Wrescia's warcamp.
Resting here for a night or two while resupplying would provide adequate respite before charting a new heading to reach the ancestral territories of his holand.
The entryway to the coastal town was marked by a large, weathered archway, beneath which a steady stream of traffic flowed. Carts and wagons pulled by sturdy mules trundled along the packed earth roads, intermixed with the occasional pedestrian making their way within or without the settlent's confines.
Jaegar adopted a asured gait, allowing himself to blend into the flow of foot traffic as just another weary traveler seeking refuge. His instincts remained sharpened for any potential threats or undue scrutiny, but thus far none of the townfolk seed to pay him any particular mind.
Following the tapering road deeper into the heart of the port, he quickly discerned the location of what appeared to be the central tavern or inn based on the telling signs - raucous laughter and snatches of slurred singing audible even from a distance. A curl of woodsmoke and the yeasty tang of fresh ale hung thick in the air around the establishnt's swinging doors.
Perfect, Jaegar mused to himself. A watering hole of this caliber was sure to be a pri location for discreetly gathering information while resupplying his material reserves.
As he approached, the weary spellslinger took stock of his remaining funds—a modest handful of battered copper pieces liberated from the spoils of the recent campaigns. It was a paltry sum by his usual standards, but one that would hopefully stretch adequately here in these rustic borderlands far from the imperial capital's comrcial hubs.
With a steady inhalation, Jaegar pushed through the swinging doors and allowed his eyes to rapidly adjust to the dimr environs. The common room was a veritable den of vice and rrint, packed to the rafters with revelers of every conceivable ethnicity and background.
Allowing the barest hint of a smirk to crease his weathered features, Jaegar quickly identified an unoccupied stool at the aged wooden bar. Sidling between the crush of bodies, he settled himself down and took stock of his new surroundings.
"A glass of your finest ale, if you'd be so kind," he said, raising his voice slightly to call over the barman's assistant, a buxom woman whose weary expression suggested she fielded such requests with monotonous regularity.
Her eyes raked over the wizard's travelstained garnts in a quick sizing-up before replying in a thick accent. "Got a coin for paynt then, master traveler?"
The clatter of copper pieces hitting the bartop answered for Jaegar as he slid a handful across the pitted woodgrain. Without a word, the barmaid snatched them up and returned shortly after with a dripping ceramic stein of rich amber liquid sloping over its sides.
"There y'are then," she grunted, setting the offering down with a thump before him. "Drink up 'fore it gets any warr out there."
Jaegar allowed himself an appreciative nod as he curled his fingers around the perspiration-slicked vessel and raised it briefly in her direction. There was sothing to be said for simple creature comforts after the hardships of late.
After taking a deep pull that left a satisfying froth mustache adorning his upper lip, the wayfarer turned a considering look back towards the barmaid.
"On that note, I find myself rather unacquainted with these coastal environs your fair establishnt calls ho. Can you tell where I am ?"
His words were clipped yet courteous, subtly emphasizing his status as an outlander hoping for the most rudintary of hospitalities.
User Comments
0 comments from readers